PUTNEY — Affinities, a series of assemblages by Bonnie Mennell, is on exhibit until Saturday, May 20, at the Putney Public Library, 55 Main St.
Mennell's exhibition includes disparate elements: found objects, recombinations of natural forms enhanced with color and texture, and handmade paper embedded with corn husks and mica, seaweed, shells, and paper birch bark.
“Objects find me,” Mennell said in a news release. “Their beauty, form, textures, and colors draw me to them. I collect them, asking permission and giving thanks. I bring them to my home and studio. I live with them. They engage me both in the moment and over time.”
Mennell's professional life was spent in teacher education and teacher professional development coaching - both as a member of the MAT faculty at the School for International Training in Brattleboro, and in her private consulting work both in the U.S. and abroad. She retired from SIT in 2008.
She continues teaching as part of the New England Council Collective, which offers workshops in the deep listening approach to group dialogue. She lives in Putney on the land that she cherishes.
Putney Public Library is open Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit putneylibrary.org.